The slip knots were a bandaid to a bigger problem - rope protectors that were difficult to use
If you've followed along with the Avant journey from the beginning, you'll remember that I talked about slip knots quite a bit in 2024… but I haven’t mentioned them for TRS since. Why the change of mind?
The previous discussion point was that slip knots could be used to re-fix the rope during a top rope solo pitch, so that the rope does not tension above the knot across sharp rock edges. Yet you could still remove the knot with one hand while free climbing past. I discussed this in the popular HowNot2 video about top rope soloing (If you haven't seen it yet, check it out here - over an hour of everything TRS!).
The slip knots do actually work quite well. If you set the knot carefully and rappel without bouncing, you can indeed clean the knot as you climb past without having to stop free climbing. But they were also difficult to set correctly, and risked coming undone, which would introduce extra slack during a fall. I realized this specific knot wasn't about the need to re-fix the rope. It was about the need for an easily removable way to protect the rope.
This is where I had the elusive “aha” inventor’s moment - what if there was simply a rope protector that ripped off the rope with one hand? This was January of 2025. I drew a quick napkin sketch of how this might work. I realized that velcro is strong in shear, but separates easily when rolled apart. So I sketched a velcro joint with a strip that rolls off to separate the protector tube. I then made an extremely rough prototype within 20 minutes at my sewing machine. And wow, it worked so well!
Prototype #1 of our Rip-Stip Rope Protector (click the image for a video clip of the 2025 aha moment)
This is the moment I changed my mind on slip knots. I do care about “sending” on TRS, and don’t want to have to stop climbing mid-pitch to deal with rope protection points. But I immediately preferred this quick-removal rope protector to the slip knots. So much so that I simply stopped talking about those knots altogether. I still do refix the rope mid-pitch, whether for rope stretch or sharp edges. But, I limit it to defined rests (or stances where I have two hands free) and tend to use alpine butterfly knots or clove hitches.
I want re-emphasize the mid-pitch protection idea: The original red Rip-Strip protector was optimized for TRS free climbing. Nearly all other protectors were optimized for heavy industrial use at the top edge of a cliff. The easy removal design was innovative, but it was also innovative to have a light and short protector that was barely noticed on your harness - perfect for those mid-pitch protection points where you may otherwise just skip the protector. Once racked, it is no more distracting than a racked cam.
Though, it was immediately clear in my own use and from customer feedback that the Rip-Strip design would also be useful for the more demanding top-edge usage. And I will acknowledge that the red protector was a bit short for that scenario. So for the last year, I was optimizing a heavier-duty version with TPU-coated fabric and a longer design. It strikes a nice balance between the minimal option and the full-on industrial versions. It is quite a bit longer, but still not so long that you can’t reach the top clamp for install or removal.
Original Rip-Strip (Red) v.s. New Rip-Strip HD
This is a fun story to share about behind-the-scenes gear design. Sometimes creating a clear problem statement makes the solution obvious. Refining down to the simple sentence of “what if a rope protector could be removed with one hand” was literally the hardest part of this innovative product.
